Tamara Kenneally is an award winning, animal based photographic artist situated in Melbourne, Australia. Tamara has an passionate interest in animal behaviour, animal rights and animal welfare which greatly influence her work. She has a degree in Media Arts (fine art photography) and post graduate qualifications in Animal Welfare.

Tamara has exhibited widely in both group and solo exhibitions around Australia. The way in which people view, use and relate to animals are examined in her bodies of work. She is currently particularly interested in portraying the beauty and explotation of farmed animals as well as the plight of caged birds.

Tamara's love of animals began when she was very young and her photography obsession blossomed not long after. At 11 years of age her beloved dog, Buddy, became her full-time photographic model for the next 17 years.

She hails from a film photography background and has a passion for creating her images within her camera, this means no cropping and very little post processing on her images. Tamara likes to work with natural light and settings. She believes that animals do not belong in the studio.

Tamara hopes her audience walk away from her work with a new found respect and compassion for animals.

Please don’t hesitate in contacting Tamara via the contact tab to discuss having portraits taken of your friend or any other questions you may have.
ARTIST STATEMENT

The beauty of animals captivates me.
Their truth, instinct and innocence grounds me.
All I ever wanted to do was to be surrounded by animals, they tell you exactly who they are through their eyes and their behaviour.
Humans create so much pain for so many animals and without a voice they can’t tell their stories. I try to speak for them through my images.
I produce bodies of work which look at animal issues whilst also portraying the beauty of the animal.
I like to represent my subjects as the individual souls and personalities they are.
All animals are worthy of a happy, enriched life. All of them. The dog chained up in the backyard. The chicken at the factory farm. The bird in the cage. The tiger at the zoo.The pig in the sow stall. All of them.

ARTIST CV

EDUCATION
2005 – 2007 – Graduate Certificate in Animal Welfare – Monash University, Melbourne
2002 – 2004 – Bachelor of Arts (Media Arts – Fine Art Photography) with Distinction – RMIT, Melbourne
1996 – 1997 – Advanced Certificate of Photography – P.I.C. – Hawthorn, Melbourne

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2009 ‘Control’ – Newcastle Art Space, Newcastle, NSW.
2005 ‘Sentient Beings’ – Cusp gallery, Northcote, Melbourne
2004 ‘Sentient Beings’ – First Site, RMIT Union Gallery, Melbourne

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2011 Animal Activist Forum - Abbostford Convent, Melbourne
2011 Animal Welfare Art Exhibition – JMICAWE, University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
2009 Picture This – Brunswick St Gallery, Melbourne
2009 Wildspace Artist of the Year – Federation Square, Melbourne
2005 Urban Art – CBD, Melbourne
2005 Churchill Animal Protection Society Art Auction – Nevada, U.S.A
2005 CCP Autumn Salon – CCP, Melbourne
2005 Julie Millowick Acquisitive Photographic Awards – Castlemaine Gaol
2005 Linden Postcard Show – Linden Gallery, St Kilda
2004 Media Arts Graduate exhibition – Smyrnios Gallery, Prahan
2004 The East Maui Animal Refuge Auction – East Maui, Hawaii
2004 My Favourite Place – Tivoli Artspace, RMIT, Melbourne
2004 Media Arts Art Auction – Gallery Irascible, Melbourne
2004 CCP Summer Salon – CCP, Melbourne
2004 Linden Postcard Show – Linden Gallery, St Kilda
2002 Static – First Site Gallery RMIT, Melbourne
1997 Graduate exhibition – Fitzroy Town Hall, Melbourne
1997 44 – Fad Gallery, Melbourne
1996 Graduate exhibition – Fitzroy Town Hall, Melbourne

AWARDS
2010 “Magpie Feeding Time“- Semi – Finalist in Animal Behaviour (Birds) Category. Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition – UK
2010 “Diving Black Duck“- Semi – Finalist in Animal Behaviour (Birds) Category. Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition – UK
2010 “Red Tailed Black Cockatoo“- Semi – Finalist in Creative Visions of Nature Category. Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition – UK
2010 “Male Indian Peafowl Feathers“- Semi – Finalist in Creative Visions of Nature Category. Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition – UK
2010 “Monarch Butterfly Wing” – Semi -Finalist in Creative Visions of Nature Category.Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competion – UK
2009 “Brolga” Semi-Finalist in Wildlife Photographer of the Year, United Kingdom
2009 Finals Shortlist – Wildspace Artist of the Year
2008 First prize – Compassion in World Farming Photography competition, London
2007 Third prize – “Rural Landscape” RASV, Melbourne
2004 Second prize – My Favourite Place Postcard Exhibition – Tivoli Artspace, Melbourne

PUBLICATIONS & INTERVIEWS
Animals Australia Calendar 2011
Animal Health Australia – Annual Report 2008/2009
Compassion in World Farming – ‘Farm Animal Voice’ Magazine – Winter, 2008
Aberfeldie Cricket Club Newsletter 2007
‘Red 10’ Magazine – March/April Issue 2005
‘Animals Matter’ – Interview – Channel 31 14th Februay 2005
Media Arts Graduate Exhibition catalogue 2004
‘Dogsbody’ Tripod intermediate newsletter 2000
‘Last of the V8 Interceptors’ Front End Loader cd sleeve 1997
‘Skillslink’ brochures 1997
’Riding for the Disabled’ newsletters, 1994 – 1997

Thursday, December 22, 2011

The Beautiful Steers

A herd of about 50 steers are currently living in a huge paddock behind our house. They are the friendliest cows that have ever been put into these paddocks.
I see them every day and they now know me. I can sit in the paddock with them grazing around me with no fear that they’ll hurt me. They are gentle boys who don’t want to hurt anyone. I love them all dearly, but have a few favourites. Patch (below) is a boy who always comes to greet me, he’s very interested in anything and everything I’m doing.

I wish they could be here forever…but they won’t be, and that breaks my heart. They will be shipped off to be slaughtered so they can be eaten by humans. What a waste. Humans don’t have to eat animals. Let animals live their own lives. They are not purely a commodity, they have thoughts, feelings and emotions like you and I.